The Transport Authority says prospective applicants are being asked to pay exorbitant fees ranging from $100,000 to $350,000 for licenses.

The Transport Authority is reporting that public passenger vehicle operators are paying hundreds of dollars for road licences to people purporting to work for the Authority.

It says over the past few months, it has received a number of reports of such persons collecting millions of dollars from unsuspecting applicants, promising hackney carriage and route licences, or motor vehicles in exchange.

The Authority says prospective applicants are being asked to pay exorbitant fees ranging from $100,000 to $350,000 for licenses.

Some reportedly pay up to $1.5 million to purchase motor vehicles without being issued with an authentic Transport Authority receipt.

The Transport Authority is indicating that the current fee for new hackney carriage and route taxi licences is $15,000 while rural stage carriages are charged a per seat fee of $3,000 and an annual inspection fee of $10,500.

The Authority is cautioning applicants for public passenger vehicle road licences and commercial carriers to refrain from conducting business with unscrupulous persons to circumvent the established channels for conducting such business.